IGP Egbetokun Withdraws Policemen From Kano Agency For Investigating Ganduje

 

The Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun has withdrawn about 40 policemen providing security and investigation support to Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission.

 

The withdrawal according to DailyNigerian follows investigations of multi-billion naira corruption against the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Abdullahi Ganduje.

 

The IGP gave the order for the withdrawal of the policemen to the State Commissioner of Police Usaini Gumel on Thursday.

 

A text message circulated to the affected policemen read: “Order and Directives to all officers and men of the Nigeria police force attached to public complaint and Anti corruption commission Kano State are warned directed to report back to Command headquarters with immediate effect those with high profile cases to hand over such to Head of Operations immediately all to acknowledge please.”

 

A credible source at the commission told our reporter that some of the policemen are helping the commission anti-corruption investigations, providing security to the commission’s headquarters and other seized properties under investigation.

 

“It is ironic that the same police that withdrew security around the former governor of Kogi State Yahaya Bello, have beefed up security around Ganduje to prevent the commission from arresting him. After that, they now have the temerity to withdraw security from the anti-corruption commission,” said a source who preferred not to be named.

 

When contacted on the matter, the force public relations officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, neither responded to a call or reply to a message sent to his known phone number at the time of filing this report.

 

Mr Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat Umar, his son Umar Abdullahi Umar and five others are facing eight-count charges bordering on corruption, misappropriation, diversion of funds among others, running into billions of naira.

 

Others are Abubakar Bawuro, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited and Lasage General Enterprises Limited.

 

One of the counts said that Abdullahi Umar Ganduje Sometimes between the period of January 10, 2016 or there about, at Kano in the Kano Judicial Division, while serving as the Governor of Kano State and being a public servant in the government of Kano State corruptly asked for and received the sum of $200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand United State Dollars) being benefit for himself from one of the beneficiaries of contracts awarded by the Kano State Government on his instruction and approval as part of his function as the Governor of Kano State.

 

The charge sheet said such action amounted to official corruption contrary to and punishable under Section 22 of The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended), Law No.2 of 2009, Laws of Kano State of Nigeria.

 

Another count reads: “That you, Abdulahi Umar Ganduje Sometimes between the period of February 10, 2017 or there about, at Kano in the Kano Judicial Division, while serving as the Governor of Kano State and being a public servant ni the government of Kano State Respondents agreed to do or caused to be done an illegal act, to wit, dishonestly and/or corruptly to your own advantage collected a kick back of the sum of $213,000 (Two Hundred And Thirteen Thousand United State Dollars) being money generated from people and entities seeking or holding the execution of Kano State Government contact and or project for the remodeling of Kantin Kwari textile market as a bribe through one of the contractors (agent).

 

The charge sheet stated that the former governor thereby committed the offence of official corruption contrary to and punishable under Section 22 of The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended), Law No2 of 2009, Laws of Kano State of Nigeria.